The Hunt for the Hoods
by Starshadow258
Summary: Trapped in her uncle's kingdom, a young woman discovers a link to her true past and searches for answers about her biological family.


Prologue

The sky was painted an inky black. Not a single star shone, leaving only the pale silver moon to shine down on the forest. The thick trees blocked much of the dim light from the pathway below, though, on occasion, patches of light broke through the dense branches.

Two hooded figures dashed along the path in the forest. They were light, nimble. Their cloaks fluttered almost silently behind them as they ran. They never once slowed until the pair arrived at a river. The first figure, significantly taller than the second, passed on a lump to the second one. "Go," said the deep voice of the first figure, "I'll cover our tracks."

The second figure only nodded. The first figure snapped a tree branch from a nearby spruce and crossed the river. He began running again, this time brushing the ground where he stepped, wiping away his tracks. The second figure followed his example; it, too, snapped a branch from the tree, but instead, it simply ran with the branch in hand. It ran alongside the river, and then moved as if to jump into the river. However, it turned the other direction, sweeping the ground clear of its footprints.

***

"Where'd they go?" A group of men clad in metal armour stood at the side of the river. "Blimey, Armand, we've lost 'em!" noted one of them, standing farthest away from the rushing waters of the river. "No! See, one must have jumped into the river. Look," said another man, pointing to the trail near the river's edge, "The man must have gone with the water. These footprints are the woman's. She's still out there."

***

The second figure slowed. She tried to muffle her heavy breathing as much as possible. She looked into the sky above. Barely visible was a yellow flag embroidered with a roaring, red lion. It stood on a metal pole atop a thick, stone wall. The second figure nodded – this was the place. She strategically tied the package to her side, then reached for her waist. She unravelled the rope wrapped around her body. At the end was a hook, with four ends branching out like a cross, then curving downward. It was a grappling hook.

The second figure looked up again at the wall. She took careful aim, then tossed the hook high into the air. _Clunk._ She pulled on the rope to make sure the hook had a good hold on the edge of the wall. The rope tensed with her tugging. She sucked in a deep breath, and then began walking up the wall, pulling herself with the rope.

***

Figure one had made a beeline to a small, wooden building. It smelled of hay and horse leftovers. The first figure gazed out to the open field. He ran out to the field, moving west, toward an immense stone building. The titanic walls grew larger and larger as the first figure gained speed. Finally, he reached one of the stone walls of the building. He stalked along the edge of this wall, moving toward not the main entrance, but a side door. The figure knew this place well. He hoped his instructions were clear for his partner. He prayed she'd be there as he turned the corner. _Thud._ A black silhouette holding a long, slinky black object was near the immense stone gate. He watched the figure roll the rope around its waist. The figure turned to its right – there was a large lump. Figure two had just arrived.

Figure two moved quickly toward the side door, crouching at its entrance. She reached for her side. Figure one moved silently toward her. Once directly behind her, he gently put a soft hand upon her shoulder.

Figure two swiftly turned, striking the first figure with her fist, then serving a quick jab between the shoulder and neck with her elbow. She swung again, aiming this time for his nose. Inches away from his face, the first figure caught the second figure's hand. "Uhhngh... It's... me...!" whispered he. Figure two's eyes widened. "Oh!" muttered she, "You startled me. I didn't realize--" The first figure put a finger to his companion's lips. "Shh, it's fine. We must be quick. I heard hounds howling in the distance. They'll have our trail any minute now." The second figure nodded. She unstrapped the package from her side and gently placed it by the heavy wooden door. On top of the package, she laid a piece of parchment. It read but one word: Anna.


End file.
